Keyboard for musical instruments



I 22 1927. Feb E. MOOR KEYPOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Feb. 7. 1922 Patented Fa. 22, 192-7.

; UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMMANUEL MOOR, OF MONT PELEREN, SVJITZERLAND.

KEYBOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Applicationfiled February 7, 1922, Serial No. 534,739, and in Germany May 27, 1921.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for rendering the said actions freely independent and prevent interference therebetween. Accordingly to the invention, automatic esca-pements allowing the return I into the rest position of the wippens acting upon the hammers are provided between the The wippen f of the mechanism of each said wippens and the jacks actuating said wippens either under the influence of the keys or of the coupling mechanism.

The drawing accompanying this specification is a diagrammatic view of the essential parts shown in longitudinal side section of a piano mechanism constructed according to the invention.

Referrin "to the drawing, a is a key of the upper key-%oard A and b a key of the lower key-board of the piano having two keyboards. Corresponding keys of the two keyboards are arranged in line one above the other but are adapted to strike notes distant from one another by an octave. For this purpose, the levers of the keys are oblique, as represented by means of hatchings on one part of said levers. Similarly, the lever 0 of the coupling mechanism is arranged obliquely and is actuated by a key distant by one octave from the key corresponding to thestring caused tobe struck by said lever.

The coupling mechanism is put into operative'position by means of a pedal 0? adapted to lift the fulcrum Z of the lever 0 through the rod m, lever 0 and movable fulcrum support p; The coupling mechanism may be then actuated by any of the keys I), by means of a pusher e which, when the coupling lever 0 is elevated, is engageable by said key Z.

hammer may be actuated either directly by oneof. the keys a or directly by one of the keys I) or by the lever 0 of the octave coupling mechanism. On this wippen f is fixed a jack 9 acting upon the hammer, the latter not being represented.

Between the key a and the jack 7, an

capements h, i are inserted between the keys a, Z), and the lever c, on the one hand, and the jack 7, on the other hand. Said automatic escapements allow the independent return into the rest-position of each of the various organs a, b or 0. Both the lever of the key 6 and the lever c, act, as represented, upon the same intermediate wippen Z9, and thus, only one actual escapement mechanism is necessary for the key I) and the lever 0.

The form of escapement is represented diagrammatically in the drawing, and it comprises a form of escapement already well known in the art of piano manufacturers. In the form shown, the escapement mechanism of the key a consists of an angular lever h pivoted to the key a and engageable with the wippen 7, a trip 72, being provided to disengage the lever h from the wippen f subsequent to the actuation of the hammer associated with said wippen. In the case of the key I), the angular lever 72. is pivoted to the intermediate wippen 7c and engages an extension f of the wippen f. I do not wish, however, to be limited to this form, but may adopt other forms suitable for any particular arrangement of repeating mechanism used in the construction of pianos.

I claim:

In a musical instrument of the character described, a main wippen, a group of keys common to and adapted to act upon said main wippen, an automatic escapement interposed between one of the keys and the main wippen, an intermediate wippen carried by the other key, an automatic escapement interposed between the intermediate wippen and main wippen, the several automatic escapements permitting the return of the main wippen. independently of the keys, at key operable lever, and means connecting the lever with the intermediate wippen whereby movement of the lever is transmitted to the main wippen through the auxiliary wippen and the second mentioned automatic escapement.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature. 

